Gas sensor control apparatus

ABSTRACT

An O 2  sensor has a sensor element, which includes a solid electrolyte layer and a pair of electrodes. The solid electrolyte layer is held between the electrodes, which includes an atmosphere side electrode and an exhaust side electrode. A constant current circuit is installed in an electric path, which connects between the atmosphere side electrode and a ground, to induce a flow of a predetermined constant electric current between the electrodes through the solid electrolyte layer. When the sensor element generates an electromotive force, the constant current circuit conducts an electric current, which is generated while using the electromotive force of the sensor element as an electric power source, to induce the flow of the predetermined constant electric current between the electrodes in an electromotive force range, which is equal to or larger than an electromotive force of the sensor element generated at a stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and incorporates herein by reference Japanese Patent Application No. 2013-167126 filed on Aug. 9, 2013.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a gas sensor control apparatus.

BACKGROUND

For instance, a gas sensor, which outputs an electromotive force, is provided at a vehicle engine (e.g., an automobile engine). In this type of gas sensor, exhaust gas, which is discharged from the engine, serves as a sensing subject of the gas sensor, and an oxygen concentration of the exhaust gas is sensed with the gas sensor. This type of gas sensor includes an electromotive force (EMF) cell, which outputs an electromotive force signal that varies depending on whether the exhaust gas is rich or lean. Specifically, when an air-to-fuel ratio is rich, the electromotive force cell outputs the electromotive force signal of about 0.9 V. In contrast, when the air-to-fuel ratio is lean, the electromotive force cell outputs the electromotive force signal of about 0 V.

In this type of gas sensor, when the air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas changes between rich and lean, a change in the sensor output may be disadvantageously delayed relative to an actual change in the air-to-fuel ratio. In order to improve the output characteristic of such a gas sensor, various techniques have been proposed.

For instance, JP2012-063345A (corresponding to US2012/0043205A1) discloses a gas sensor control apparatus, in which a constant current circuit is connected to at least one of a pair of sensor electrodes (i.e., two sensor electrodes). In this gas sensor control apparatus, when it is determined that a demand for changing the output characteristic of the gas sensor is present, a flow direction of the constant electric current is determined based on the demand. Then, the constant current circuit is controlled to supply the constant electric current in the determined direction. Specifically, the constant current circuit can supply the constant electric current in any one of a forward direction and a backward direction and can adjust a current value of the electric current through a pulse width modulation (PWM) control operation.

However, in the above-describe technique, the supply of the constant electric current of the constant current circuit is controlled through the PWM control operation. In order to meet, for example, a cost reduction demand, an improvement may be made to simplify the structure.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure is made in view of the above disadvantage.

According to the present disclosure, there is provided a gas sensor control apparatus for a gas sensor that outputs an electromotive force signal corresponding to an air-to-fuel ratio of an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine and includes an electromotive force cell, which has a solid electrolyte body and a pair of electrodes. The solid electrolyte body is held between the pair of electrodes that include a reference side electrode, which becomes a positive side at a time of outputting an electromotive force from the electromotive force cell, and an exhaust side electrode, which becomes a negative side at the time of outputting the electromotive force from the electromotive force cell. The gas sensor control apparatus includes a current conduction regulating device that is installed in an electric path, which is connected to the electromotive force cell, to induce a flow of a predetermined constant electric current between the exhaust side electrode and the reference side electrode through the solid electrolyte body in the electromotive force cell. The current conduction regulating device conducts the predetermined constant electric current, which is generated while using the electromotive force of the electromotive force cell as an electric power source, to induce the flow of the predetermined constant electric current between the exhaust side electrode and the reference side electrode when the electromotive force of the electromotive force cell is in a corresponding electromotive force range, which is equal to or larger than a predetermined electromotive force of the electromotive force cell that is generated at a theoretical air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings described herein are for illustration purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing an entire structure of an engine control system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing a cross section of a sensor element and a sensor control arrangement of the embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an electromotive force characteristic diagram indicating a relationship between an air-to-fuel ratio and an electromotive force of the sensor element;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a catalytic conversion efficiency of a first catalyst and output characteristics of an O₂ sensor;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a catalytic conversion efficiency of a first catalyst and output characteristics of an O₂ sensor;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram for describing reactions of gas components at the sensor element;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a structure of the sensor control arrangement;

FIG. 8 is an electromotive force characteristic diagram indicating a relationship between an air-to-fuel ratio and an electromotive force of the sensor element;

FIGS. 9A to 9C are diagrams for describing a relationship between the electromotive force of the sensor element and a constant electric current;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an abnormality determination process for the constant current circuit; and

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a structure of a sensor control arrangement in a modification of the embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, a gas sensor, which is provided in an exhaust conduit of an engine (internal combustion engine) of a vehicle (e.g., an automobile), is used, and there will be described an engine control system, which executes various control operations of the engine based on an output of the gas sensor. In the engine control system, an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as an ECU) is used to execute, for example, a control operation of a fuel injection quantity and a control operation of ignition timing. FIG. 1 is a diagram that schematically shows an entire structure of the engine control system.

In FIG. 1, the engine 10 is, for example, a gasoline engine and has an electronically controlled throttle valve 11, fuel injection valves 12, and ignition devices 13. Catalysts (also referred to as catalytic converters) 15 a, 15 b, which serve as an exhaust gas purifying device, are installed in an exhaust conduit 14 (serving as an exhaust device) of the engine 10. Each of the catalysts 15 a, 15 b is formed as, for example, a three-way catalyst. The catalyst 15 a is a first catalyst, which serves as an upstream side catalyst, and the catalyst 15 b is a second catalyst, which serves as a downstream side catalyst. As is well known in the art, the three-way catalyst purifies three noxious components of the exhaust gas, i.e., CO (carbon monoxide), HC (hydrocarbon) and NOx (nitrogen oxide, such as NO) and is formed by applying metal, such as platinum, palladium, rhodium, to a ceramic substrate that is configured into, for example, a honeycomb form or a lattice form. In this instance, at the three-way catalyst, CO and HC, which are the rich components, are purified through an oxidation reaction, and NOx, which is the lean component, is purified through a reduction reaction.

An air-to-fuel ratio (A/F) sensor 16 is placed on an upstream side of the first catalyst 15 a in a flow direction of the exhaust gas, and an oxygen (O₂) sensor 17 is placed between the first catalyst 15 a and the second catalyst 15 b, i.e., is placed on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a and on the upstream side of the second catalyst 15 b in the flow direction of the exhaust gas. The A/F sensor 16 outputs an A/F signal, which is generally proportional to the air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas. Furthermore, the O₂ sensor 17 outputs an electromotive force (EMF) signal, which varies depending on whether the air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is rich or lean.

Furthermore, various sensors, such as a throttle opening degree sensor 21, a crank angle sensor 22, an air quantity sensor 23 and a coolant temperature sensor 24, are installed in the engine control system. The throttle opening degree sensor 21 senses the opening degree of the throttle valve 11. The crank angle sensor 22 outputs a crank angle signal of a rectangular waveform at every predetermined crank angle (e.g., a period of 30 degree crank angle) of the engine 10. The air quantity sensor 23 senses the quantity of the intake air drawn into the engine 10. The coolant temperature sensor 24 senses the temperature of the engine coolant. Although not depicted in the drawings, besides the above sensors, there are also provided, for example, a combustion pressure sensor, which senses a combustion pressure in a cylinder of the engine, an accelerator opening degree sensor, which senses an opening degree of an accelerator (an accelerator manipulation amount or an amount of depression of an accelerator pedal), and an oil temperature sensor, which senses a temperature of an engine lubricating oil. These sensors respectively serve as an operational state sensing means.

The ECU 25 includes a microcomputer of a known type, which has a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (memories). The ECU 25 executes various control programs, which are stored in the ROM, to perform various control operations of the engine 10 according to the engine operational state. Specifically, the ECU 25 receives signals from the above-described sensors, and the ECU 25 computes each corresponding fuel injection quantity and each corresponding ignition timing to execute, for example, the control operation for driving the fuel injection valves 12 and the control operation for driving the ignition devices 13 based on the signals.

Particularly, with respect to the fuel injection quantity control operation, the ECU 25 performs an air-to-fuel ratio feedback control operation based on a measurement signal of the A/F sensor 16, which is placed on the upstream side of the first catalyst 15 a, and a measurement signal of the O₂ sensor 17, which is placed on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a. Specifically, the ECU 25 executes a main feedback control operation in such a manner that an actual air-to-fuel ratio (an actual air-to-fuel ratio at the location on the upstream side of the first catalyst 15 a), which is sensed with the A/F sensor 16, coincides with a target air-to-fuel ratio, which is set based on the engine operational state. Also, the ECU 25 executes a sub-feedback control operation in such a manner that an actual air-to-fuel ratio (an actual air-to-fuel ratio at the location on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a), which is sensed with the O₂ sensor 17, coincides with the target air-to-fuel ratio. In the sub-feedback control operation, in view of, for example, a difference between the actual air-to-fuel ratio on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a and the target air-to-fuel ratio, the target air-to-fuel ratio used in the main feedback control operation is corrected, or a feedback correction amount used in the main feedback control operation is corrected. The ECU 25 executes a stoichiometric feedback control operation, which sets the target air-to-fuel ratio to a stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio, as the air-to-fuel ratio control operation.

Next, the structure of the O₂ sensor 17, which is placed on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a, will be described. The O₂ sensor 17 has a sensor element (also referred to as a sensing device) 31, which is configured into a cup shape. FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the sensor element 31. In reality, the sensor element 31 is configured such that the entire sensor element 31 is received in a housing or an element cover, and the sensor element 31 is placed in the engine exhaust conduit 14. The sensor element 31 serves as an electromotive force cell.

In the sensor element 31, a solid electrolyte layer (serving as a solid electrolyte body) 32 has a cup shaped cross section. An exhaust side electrode 33 is formed in an outer surface of the solid electrolyte layer 32, and an atmosphere side electrode 34 is formed in an inner surface of the solid electrolyte layer 32. Each of the electrodes 33, 34 is formed as a layer on the corresponding one of the outer surface and the inner surface of the solid electrolyte layer 32. The solid electrolyte layer 32 is an oxide sintered body, which conducts oxygen ions therethrough and is formed by completely dissolving CaO, MgO, Y₂O₃, and/or Yb₂O₃ as stabilizer into ZrO₂, HfO₂, ThO₂, and/or Bi₂O₃. Furthermore, each electrode 33, 34 is made of a noble metal, such as platinum, which has the high catalytic activity, and a surface of the electrode 33, 34 is covered with a porous coating that is chemically plated. The above-described two electrodes 33, 34 serve as a pair of electrodes (sensor electrodes). An inside space, which is surrounded by the solid electrolyte layer 32, is an atmosphere chamber (a reference gas chamber or simply referred to as a reference chamber) 35. A heater 36 is received in the atmosphere chamber 35. The heater 36 has a sufficient heat capacity to activate the sensor element 31, and the sensor element 31 is entirely heated by a heat energy, which is generated from the heater 36. An activation temperature of the O₂ sensor 17 is, for example, 500 to 650 degrees Celsius. The atmosphere gas (atmosphere air) is introduced into the atmosphere chamber 35, so that the inside of the atmosphere chamber 35 is maintained at a predetermined oxygen concentration.

In the sensor element 31, the exhaust gas is present at the outside (the electrode 33 side) of the solid electrolyte layer 32, and the atmosphere gas (atmosphere air) is present at the inside (the electrode 34 side) of the solid electrolyte layer 32. An electromotive force is generated between the electrode 33 and the electrode 34 in response to a difference in an oxygen concentration (a difference in an oxygen partial pressure) between the outside (the electrode 33 side) of the solid electrolyte layer 32 and the inside (the electrode 34 side) of the solid electrolyte layer 32. Specifically, the generated electromotive force varies depending on whether the air-to-fuel ratio is rich or lean. In such a case, the oxygen concentration at the exhaust side electrode 33 is lower than the oxygen concentration at the atmosphere side electrode 34, which serves as a reference side electrode, and the electromotive force is generated at the sensor element 31 while the atmosphere side electrode 34 and the exhaust side electrode 33 serve as a positive side and a negative side, respectively. In this instance, the exhaust side electrode 33 is grounded through an electric path 50 b, as shown in FIG. 2. Thus, the O₂ sensor 17 outputs the electromotive force signal, which corresponds to the oxygen concentration (the air-to-fuel ratio) of the exhaust gas.

FIG. 3 is an electromotive force characteristic diagram showing a relationship between the air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas and the electromotive force of the sensor element 31. In FIG. 3, the axis of abscissas indicates a percentage of excess air λ. When the percentage of excess air λ is 1 (i.e., λ=1), the air-to-fuel ratio is the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio (stoichiometric mixture), which is also referred to as a theoretical air-to-fuel ratio. The sensor element 31 has the characteristics of that the electromotive force generated from the sensor element 31 varies depending on whether the air-to-fuel ratio is rich or lean, and the electromotive force generated from the sensor element 31 rapidly changes around the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio. Specifically, the electromotive force (also referred to as a sensor electromotive force) of the sensor element 31 at the rich time is about 0.9 V, and the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 at the lean time is about 0 V.

In FIG. 2, a sensor control arrangement (also referred to as a sensor control apparatus) 40 is connected to the sensor element 31. When the electromotive force is generated at the sensor element 31 in response to the air-to-fuel ratio (the oxygen concentration) of the exhaust gas, the sensor measurement signal (the electromotive force signal), which corresponds to the electromotive force generated at the sensor element 31, is outputted from the sensor element 31 to a microcomputer 41 of the sensor control arrangement 40 through an electric path 50 a. The microcomputer 41 has a CPU, a ROM, and a RAM (memories), and executes various operations upon execution of each corresponding program stored in one or more of the memories. The microcomputer 41 computes the air-to-fuel ratio based on the electromotive force signal of the sensor element 31. The sensor control arrangement 40 is formed in the ECU 25 of FIG. 1. At the ECU 25, the microcomputer 41 is formed as a computing device (computing means) that has an engine control function and a sensor control function. In this case, the microcomputer 41 computes the engine rotational speed and the intake air quantity based on the measurement results of the various sensors. However, instead of having the single microcomputer, the ECU 25 may be constructed to have an engine control microcomputer, which executes the engine control function, and a sensor control microcomputer, which executes the sensor control function, if desired.

Furthermore, the microcomputer 41 determines an activated state of the sensor element 31 and controls the driving operation of the heater 36 through a drive device 42, which is connected to the heater 36 through an electric path 50 c, based on a result of determination of the activated state of the sensor element 31. The technique of the activation determination of the sensor element 31 and the technique of the heater control are already known. Therefore, the activation determination of the sensor element 31 and the heater control will be briefly described. The microcomputer 41 periodically changes the voltage or the electric current applied to the sensor element 31 in a manner that is similar to an alternating current and senses a thus generated change in the electric current or a thus generated change in the electric voltage. A resistance of the sensor element 31 (an impedance of the sensor element 31) is computed based on the change in the electric current or the change in the voltage, and the energization control operation of the heater 36 is executed based on the resistance of the sensor element 31. At that time, there is a correlation between the activated state of the sensor element 31 (the temperature of the sensor element 31) and the resistance of the sensor element 31. When the resistance of the sensor element 31 is controlled to a predetermined target value, the sensor element 31 is held in the desired activated state (the state, under which the activation temperature of the sensor element 31 is held in a range of 500 to 650 degrees Celsius). For example, a sensor element temperature feedback control operation may be executed as the heater control operation.

When the engine 10 is operated, the actual air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas is changed. For example, the air-to-fuel ratio may be repeatedly changed between rich and lean. At the time of changing the actual air-to-fuel ratio between rich and lean, when a deviation exists between the output of the O₂ sensor 17 and the presence of NOx, which is the lean component, the emission performance may possibly be influenced. For example, the amount of NOx in the exhaust gas may possibly be increased beyond the intended amount at the time of operating the engine 10 under the high load (the time of accelerating the vehicle).

In the present embodiment, a sensing mode of the O₂ sensor 17 is changed based on the relationship between the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17, which outputs the electromotive force, and the exhaust gas purifying characteristic of the first catalyst 15 a, which is placed on the upstream side of the O₂ sensor 17. Details of the change of the sensing mode of the O₂ sensor 17 will be described later. FIG. 4 is a diagram that shows the catalytic conversion characteristics of the first catalyst 15 a, which is the three-way catalyst, and the output characteristics of the O₂ sensor 17. Specifically, FIG. 4 shows: (I) a relationship between a catalytic conversion efficiency of each of the three noxious components (i.e., CO, HC, NOx) of the exhaust gas at the first catalyst 15 a and the air-to-fuel ratio; (II) a relationship between the gas concentration of each of the three noxious components and the oxygen on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a and the air-to-fuel ratio; (III) a relationship between the gas concentration of each of the three noxious components and the oxygen around the surface of the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 and the air-to-fuel ratio; and (IV) a relationship between the electromotive force output of the O₂ sensor 17 and the air-to-fuel ratio.

The first catalyst (the three-way catalyst) 15 a has a catalytic conversion window, in which the catalytic conversion efficiency of each of the three noxious components becomes high around the point of the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio (percentage of excess air λ=1), as is known in the art. Furthermore, with respect to the concentrations of the three noxious components and the concentration of the oxygen on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a, it is understood that a reaction equilibrium point A1, at which the concentrations of the rich components (CO, HC) and the concentration of the oxygen become generally equal to one another, is present around the point of the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio, and an NOx outflow point A2, at which NOx (NO) begins to outflow from the first catalyst 15 a on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a, is also present. In this case, the NOx outflow point A2 (the point of starting the outflow of NOx from the catalyst 15 a) is located on the rich side of the reaction equilibrium point A1, and the NOx outflow point A2 and the reaction equilibrium point A1 are spaced from each other by a difference ΔA. That is, the first catalyst 15 a has the catalytic conversion characteristic of that the NOx outflow point (serving as a second air-to-fuel ratio point) A2, at which NOx begins to outflow from the first catalyst 15 a, is located on the rich side of the reaction equilibrium point (serving as a first air-to-fuel ratio point) A1, which forms the equilibrium point for the rich components and the oxygen. The reaction equilibrium point A1 is an inflection point of the equilibrium characteristic of the rich components and the oxygen, and the NOx outflow point A2 is an inflection point of the outflow concentration characteristic of NOx.

The reason for the generation of the deviation (difference) between the point A1 and the point A2 may be as follows. In the case where the exhaust gas, which contains CO, HC, NOx, and O₂, is guided to the first catalyst 15 a during the operation of the engine 10, NOx may possibly outflow from the first catalyst 15 a in addition to CO and HC. For example, even in the range of the catalytic conversion window of the three-way catalyst, it will be noted that some amount of CO, HC, and NOx outflows from the first catalyst 15 a when the amount of CO, HC, and NOx is precisely measured. In such a case, although O₂ outflows from the first catalyst 15 a in equilibrium with CO and HC (starting of the outflow of O₂ at the concentration of CO and HC≈0), NOx outflows from the first catalyst 15 a on the downstream side thereof regardless of the reaction of CO and HC. Therefore, the difference exists between the point A1 and the point A2.

Furthermore, the concentrations of the above three components and the oxygen around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 are the same as the concentrations of the above three components and the oxygen on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a. In this case, the amount of the rich components (CO, HC) is larger than the amount of oxygen on the rich side of the point A1, and the amount of oxygen is larger than the amount of the rich components on the lean side of the point A1. Therefore, in terms of the electromotive force of the O₂ sensor 17, one of a rich signal (0.9V) and a lean signal (0V) is outputted on one side or the other side of the reaction equilibrium point A1 of the first catalyst 15 a. In this case, it can be said that the reaction equilibrium point for the rich components and the oxygen at the O₂ sensor 17 coincides with the reaction equilibrium point A1 at the first catalyst 15 a. Furthermore, NOx is present on the rich side of the point A1.

At the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17, the oxidation reaction and the reduction reaction of CO, HC and NOx of the exhaust gas take place according to the following chemical reaction formulae (1) to (3).

CO+0.5O₂→CO₂  (1)

CH₄+2O₂→CO₂+2H₂O  (2)

CO+NO→CO₂+0.5N₂  (3)

Furthermore, there is established a relationship of k1, k2>>K3 where k1, k2 and k3 denote an equilibrium constant of the chemical reaction formula (1), an equilibrium constant of the chemical reaction formula (2), and an equilibrium constant of the chemical reaction formula (3), respectively.

In this case, at the O₂ sensor 17, the equilibrium point (the point at which the electromotive force output=0.45 V) is determined through the gas reactions of, for example, CO, HC NOx, and O₂. However, due to the differences in the equilibrium constant, the reactions of CO and HC with O₂ become main reactions at the exhaust side electrode 33.

Furthermore, the above difference ΔA is present in the catalytic conversion characteristic of the first catalyst 15 a, and the above difference ΔA has the influence on the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17. Therefore, even when NOx outflows from the first catalyst 15 a, the output of the O₂ sensor 17 does not correspond to the outflow of NOx from the first catalyst 15 a. Thus, the outflow of NOx from the first catalyst 15 a cannot be correctly monitored, and thereby the amount of NOx emissions may possibly be increased.

In view of the above disadvantage, according to the present embodiment, the electric current, which has a predetermined current value, is conducted between the electrodes 33, 34 of the sensor element 31 of the O₂ sensor 17, so that at the location around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17, the concentrations of the rich components are reduced, and the concentration of the oxygen is increased. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5, the equilibrium point of the gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 is changed from the point A1 to a point A3. In FIG. 5, in comparison to FIG. 4, all of the concentration characteristics of CO, HC and O₂ around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 are shifted to the rich side. In this way, in the case where the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17 is changed, and NOx outflows from the first catalyst 15 a, the output of the O₂ sensor 17 can correspond to the outflow of NOx.

The principle of inducing the change in the sensor output characteristic through conduction of the electric current between the electrodes 33, 34 is as follows. As shown in FIG. 6, CO, HC, NOx and O₂ are present around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17. Under such a circumstance, the electric current is conducted through the sensor element 31 such that the oxygen ions are moved from the atmosphere side electrode 34 to the exhaust side electrode 33 through the solid electrolyte layer 32. Specifically, the oxygen pumping is executed at the sensor element 31. In this case, at the exhaust side electrode 33, the oxygen, which is moved to the exhaust side electrode 33 side through the solid electrolyte layer 32, reacts with CO and HC to form CO₂ and H₂O, respectively. In this way, CO and HC are removed around the exhaust side electrode 33, and the equilibrium point of the gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 is shifted to the rich side.

Next, the structure of the sensor control arrangement 40, which executes the control operation with respect to the O₂ sensor 17, will be described. The structure of the sensor control arrangement 40 is one shown in FIG. 2. That is, the sensor control arrangement 40 includes the microcomputer 41, which serves as a control device (or control means). The microcomputer 41 obtains the electromotive force signal, which is outputted from the sensor element 31, through, for example, an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter and computes the air-to-fuel ratio (particularly, the air-to-fuel ratio on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a) of the exhaust gas based on the obtained electromotive force signal. Furthermore, a constant current circuit 43 (serving as a current conduction regulating device or current conduction regulating means) 43 is connected to a portion 50 a 1 of an electric path 50 a that electrically connects between the atmosphere side electrode 34 of the sensor element 31 and the microcomputer 41. The portion 50 a 1 of the electric path 50 a is an intermediate location between the atmosphere side electrode 34 of the sensor element 31 and the microcomputer 41 in the electric path 50 a. The constant current circuit 43 is configured such that when the sensor element 31 generates the electromotive force, the constant current circuit 43 induces a flow of an electric current, which corresponds to the electromotive force of the sensor element 31, through the sensor element 31. In this case, the constant current circuit 43 induces the flow of the electric current from the exhaust side electrode 33 to the atmosphere side electrode 34 through the solid electrolyte layer 32, so that the oxygen ions move from the atmosphere side electrode 34 to the exhaust side electrode 33 through the solid electrolyte layer 32 in the sensor element 31.

In the present embodiment, the control of the constant electric current is executed based on a difference between the reaction equilibrium point A1 of the oxygen outflow at the first catalyst 15 a and the NOx outflow point A2 of the NOx outflow at the first catalyst 15 a. Particularly, the constant electric current is controlled such that the equilibrium point of the gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 is placed at the NOx outflow point A2 or a point adjacent to the NOx outflow point A2. In this way, the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17 is changed based on the catalytic conversion efficiency of the first catalyst 15 a. Thereby, when NOx outflows from the first catalyst 15 a, the lean signal is outputted at the O₂ sensor 17 from the beginning of the outflow of NOx from the first catalyst 15 a.

Here, in view of ensuring the robustness of the O₂ sensor 17 for the purpose of limiting the NOx emissions, it is desirable that the equilibrium point of the gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 is placed on the rich side of the NOx outflow point A2 (see FIG. 5). Specifically, the equilibrium point of the gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode of the O₂ sensor 17 may be shifted from the NOx outflow point A2 on the rich side of the NOx outflow point A2 by the amount of, for example, about 0.1 to 0.5% (more desirably 0.1 to 0.3%) in terms of the percentage of excess air λ to have a slightly rich state.

The constant current circuit 43 of the sensor control arrangement 40 and a peripheral circuit thereof will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7.

With reference to FIG. 7, the constant current circuit 43 includes a voltage generating arrangement 51, an operational amplifier 52, an n-channel MOSFET 53 and a resistor 54. The operational amplifier 52 and the MOSFET 53 cooperate together to serve as an operating device. The voltage generating arrangement 51 generates a predetermined constant voltage. The MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 are connected in series in an electric path 60, which connects between the portion 50 a 1 of the electric path 50 a and a ground. The electric path 50 a and the electric path 60 cooperate together to form an electric path 70 that connects between the atmosphere side electrode 34 of the O₂ sensor 17 and the ground (earth). The n-channel MOSFET 53 is driven by an output of the operational amplifier 52. The resistor 54 is connected to a source of the MOSFET 53. The voltage generating arrangement 51 includes a constant voltage source 51 a (e.g., a constant voltage source that outputs 5V) and two resistors 51 b, 51 c. The constant voltage source 51 a and the resistors 51 b, 51 c are connected in series, and an intermediate point between the resistors 51 b, 51 c forms a voltage output point X1. A non-inverting terminal (also referred to as a +input terminal) of the operational amplifier 52 is connected to the voltage output point X1, and an output terminal of the operational amplifier 52 is connected to a gate of the MOSFET 53. Furthermore, an inverting terminal (also referred to as a −input terminal) of the operational amplifier 52 is connected to an intermediate point X2 between the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 in the electric path 60. The gate, the drain and the source of the MOSFET 53 are connected to the output terminal of the operational amplifier 52, the atmosphere side electrode 34 of the sensor element 31 and the resistor 54, respectively.

The constant current circuit 43, which is constructed in the above-described manner, is operated such that the voltage of the non-inverting terminal of the operational amplifier 52 and the voltage of the inverting terminal of the operational amplifier 52 become equal to each other. Therefore, the voltage of the intermediate point X2 and the voltage of the voltage output point X1 are equal to each other. A constant electric current Ics, which has a current value determined based on the voltage of the intermediate point X2 and the resistance value of the resistor 54, flows through a series circuit that is formed in the electric path 70 and includes the sensor element 31, the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 that are connected one after another in series. At this time, the MOSFET 53 is operated in response to an output voltage of the operational amplifier 52, which is generated due to a difference between the input voltage of the non-inverting terminal and the input voltage of the inverting terminal of the operational amplifier 52, so that the MOSFET 53 functions as a current control element that conducts the constant electric current Ics. The voltage of the intermediate point X2 serves as a reference voltage.

Desirably, the voltage of the voltage output point X1, the voltage of the intermediate point X2 and the resistance value of the resistor 54 are determined based on the current value of the electric current that needs to be conducted through the sensor element 31 at the time of generating the electromotive force in the sensor element 31. Specifically, for instance, in a case where the electric current, which has the current value of 0.1 mA, needs to be conducted through the sensor element 31 at the time of generating the electromotive force (0 to 0.9V) in the sensor element 31, the voltage of the voltage output point X1 and the voltage of the intermediate point X2 are set to be 10 mV, and the resistance value of the resistor 54 is set to be 100Ω. Furthermore, in a case where the electric current, which has the current value of 0.2 mA, needs to be conducted through the sensor element 31, the voltage of the voltage output point X1 and the voltage of the intermediate point X2 are set to be 20 mV, and the resistance value of the resistor 54 is set to be 100Ω. In addition, in a case where the electric current, which has the current value in a range of 0.1 mA to 1.0 mA, needs to be conducted through the sensor element 31, the voltage of the voltage output point X1 and the voltage of the intermediate point X2 are set to be in a range of 10 mV to 100 mV, and the resistance value of the resistor 54 is set to be 100Ω. However, in such a case, the reference voltage, which is the voltage of the intermediate point X2 between the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 in the constant current circuit 43, is smaller than the electromotive force (0.45 V) of the sensor element 31 generated at the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio.

Desirably, the range of the resistance value of the resistor 54 is about 50Ω to 500Ω. Here, it is assumed that the resistance value of the sensor element 31 is 350Ω, and the current value of the electric current, which flows through the sensor element 31, is 1.0 mA. Also, it is assumed that the resistance value of the resistor 54 is 500Ω. In such a case, when the electromotive force is equal to or larger than 0.85 V, the electric current, which has the desirable current value (1.0 mA), can be conducted through the sensor element 31. In view of the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 in the rich state, the electric current, which has the desirable current value (1.0 mA), can be conducted through the sensor element 31 in the case where the resistance value of the resistor 54 is 500Ω. This resistance value of the resistor 54 is defined as a maximum resistance value of the resistor 54. Furthermore, in order to enable the conduction of the electric current, which has the desirable current value (1.0 mA), through the sensor element 31 in the state of the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio, the maximum resistance value of the resistor 54 is desirably set to 100Ω. However, the resistance value of the resistor 54 is not limited to the above value in a case where the maximum resistance value of the sensor element 31 in the activated state of the sensor element 31 is set to be equal to or smaller than 350Ω. For example, in a case where the maximum resistance value of the sensor element 31 in the activated state is set to be 300Ω, the maximum resistance value of the resistor 54 may be set to 150Ω. The minimum resistance value (50Ω) of the resistor 54 is set to enable sensing of an abnormality. In such a case, when the resistance value of the resistor 54 is 50Ω, the voltage of the sensor element 31 becomes 5 mV at the time of conducting the electric current having the current value of 0.1 mA through the sensor element 31. In such a case, when a 14-bit A/D converter having a voltage range of 0 to 5 V is used, a measurement value will be 16 (=2̂14/1000). Therefore, the abnormality can be appropriately sensed.

In the sensor control arrangement 40, which has the constant current circuit 43 of the above structure, when the electromotive force is generated in the sensor element 31, the predetermined constant electric current Ics is conducted through the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 while using the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 as an electric power source (in other words, the sensor element 31 being used as a battery). Thereby, the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17 can be changed.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for describing the output characteristic of the sensor element 31 in the case where the constant electric current Ics is conducted in the sensor element 31 through use of the constant current circuit 43. In FIG. 8, a characteristic line, which indicates the output characteristic of the sensor element 31, is shifted to the rich side as indicated by an arrow when the constant electric current Ics is conducted through the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 to conduct the constant electric current ICs through the sensor element 31. Furthermore, in the circuit structure shown in FIG. 7, the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is sensed at an intermediate point between the sensor element 31 and the MOSFET 53 in the series circuit, which includes the sensor element 31, the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 in the electric path 70, so that the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 becomes relatively small.

Here, in the case where the constant electric current Ics is conducted through the sensor element 31, it is desirable that the current value of the constant electric current Ics is kept constant to implement movement of the constant amount of the oxygen ions in the sensor element 31 even when the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is changed in the range of 0 to 0.9 V. However, in the case where the constant current circuit 43 of the above structure is used, the flow of the constant electric current Ics is generated while using the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 as the electric power source. Therefore, in a range where the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is relatively small, the current value of the constant electric current Ics becomes relatively small. Specifically, in a range where the electromotive force is equal to or larger than a lower threshold voltage Vy in FIG. 8, the constant current value of the constant electric current Ics can be maintained. In contrast, in a range where the electromotive force is smaller than the lower threshold voltage Vy, the constant current value of the constant electric current Ics cannot be maintained and thereby becomes smaller than a proper value. With reference to the output characteristic of the sensor element 31 of FIG. 8, the output characteristic becomes one indicated by a dotted line on a lower voltage side, which is lower than a point Z in FIG. 8, in the case where the constant current value of the constant electric current Ics is provided to shift the output characteristic of the sensor element 31 throughout the entire electromotive force range of the sensor element 31. However, when the current value is reduced in the range where the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 becomes smaller than the lower threshold voltage Vy, the amount of shift of the output characteristic is reduced on the lower voltage side of the point Z as indicated by a solid line in FIG. 8. The lower threshold voltage Vy is a threshold voltage, above which the appropriate flow of the constant current Ics in the constant current circuit 43 is guaranteed. In the structure of FIG. 7, the lower threshold value Vy is set to be a voltage that corresponds to the voltage of the intermediate point X2 and an on-state resistance of the MOSFET 53 (a voltage drop at the time of turning on of the MOSFET 53).

The lower threshold voltage Vy varies depending on the resistance value of the sensor element 31, which indicates the activated state of the sensor element 31, and/or the current value of the constant electric current Ics that needs to be conducted through the sensor element 31 through use of the constant current circuit 43. FIGS. 9A to 9C indicate this relationship. FIG. 9A indicates a case where the resistance value of the sensor element 31 is 50Ω. FIG. 9B indicates a case where the resistance value of the sensor element 31 is 150Ω. FIG. 9C indicates a case where the resistance value of the sensor element 31 is 350Ω.

With reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C, it would be understood that the threshold voltage Vy (i.e., the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 that enables the flow of the electric current having the proper current value) is increased when the current value of the constant electric current Ics is increased. For example, in FIG. 9A, in the case where the current value of the constant electric current Ics is 0.1 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.03 V. Also, in FIG. 9A, in the case where the current value of the constant electric current Ics is 0.5 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.15 V. Furthermore, in FIG. 9A, in a case where the current value of the constant electric current Ics is 1.0 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.3 V. Furthermore, in FIG. 9B, in a case where the current value of the constant electric current Ics is 0.1 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.04 V. Also, in FIG. 9B, in a case where the current value of the constant electric current Ics is 0.5 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.2 V. Furthermore, in FIG. 9B, in a case where the current value of the constant electric current Ics is 1.0 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.4 V. Furthermore, in FIG. 9C, in the case where the current value of the constant electric current is 0.1 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.06 V. Also, in FIG. 9C, in the case where the current value of the constant electric current is 0.5 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.3 V. Furthermore, in FIG. 9C, in the case where the current value of the constant electric current is 1.0 mA, the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.6 V. The constant current circuit 43 of the present embodiment enables the flow of the constant electric current through the sensor element 31 at the time of outputting the electromotive force in the rich state. Furthermore, desirably, the constant current circuit 43 of the present embodiment enables the flow of the required constant electric current in an electromotive force range, which is equal to or larger than the electromotive force (0.45 V) of the sensor element 31 generated at the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio. In such a case, although the lower threshold voltage Vy is 0.6 V (in the case where the current value of the constant electric current is 1.0 mA) in FIG. 9C, for instance, an upper limit of the range of the current value of the constant electric current may be reduced to meet this demand.

Furthermore, in the case where the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17 is changed by the constant electric current Ics conducted through the constant current circuit 43, as discussed above, when an abnormality occurs in the constant current circuit 43, the exhaust emission performance is influenced. Therefore, in the present embodiment, an abnormality determining function (abnormality determining arrangement), which executes abnormality determination of the determination subject, i.e., the constant current circuit 43 is added to the microcomputer 41.

As shown in FIG. 7, a shunt resistor 57 for sensing the electric current is installed in the electric path 50 b, which connects between the exhaust side electrode 33 and the ground, as a structure that is used to sense the abnormality. The electric current, which flows through the shunt resistor 57, is sensed with a current sensing device 58. The current sensing device 58 may include a differential amplifier circuit, which has, for example, an operational amplifier. In this case, the actual current value of the electric current (also referred to as actual electric current), which flows in the constant current circuit 43, is sensed with the shunt resistor 57 and the current sensing device 58, and the microcomputer 41 executes the abnormality determination of the constant current circuit 43 for determining whether the abnormality is present in the constant current circuit 43 based on the actual current value of the electric current. The shunt resistor 57 and the current sensing device 58 cooperate together to serve as a current sensing arrangement.

However, as discussed above, in the range where the voltage value of the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is small (the range where the voltage value of the electromotive force is smaller than a threshold value, i.e., a predetermined value Vth), the current value of the constant electric current Ics becomes smaller than the proper value in the constant current circuit 43. Therefore, in the present embodiment, execution of the abnormality determination procedure is disabled, i.e., is rendered ineffective in the range, in which the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is small (i.e., the electromotive force is smaller than the threshold value).

FIG. 10 shows the flowchart indicating the abnormality determination process of the constant current circuit 43. This process is repeated at predetermined time intervals by the microcomputer 41.

In FIG. 10, at step S11, it is determined whether an execution condition for executing the abnormality determination process is satisfied. For example, this execution condition may include a condition of that the sensor element 31 is in the activated state. When the answer to the inquiry at step S11 is YES, the operation proceeds to step S12.

At step S12, it is determined whether the voltage value of the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is equal to or larger than the predetermined value (predetermined voltage value) Vth. The predetermined value Vth is, for example, a voltage value of the lower threshold voltage Vy shown in FIG. 8. At this time, the predetermined value Vth may be set based on the temperature of the sensor element 31. Specifically, in a case where the temperature of the sensor element 31 is low, the predetermined value Vth may be increased in response to increasing of the resistance value of the sensor element 31. Alternatively, it may be determined whether the air-to-fuel ratio is not in the lean state at step S12.

When it is determined that the voltage value of the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is equal to or larger than the predetermined value Vth (or it is determined that the air-to-fuel ratio is not in the lean state) at step S12, the operation proceeds to step S13 and the subsequent step to determine whether the constant current circuit 43 is normal. In contrast, when it is determined that the voltage value of the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is smaller than the predetermined value Vth (or it is determined that the air-to-fuel ratio is in the lean state) at step S12, the operation is terminated without executing step S13. That is, the execution of the abnormality determination procedure is disabled, i.e., is nullified (rendering of the abnormality determination ineffective). The nullifying of the abnormality determination is not limited to the disabling of the abnormality determination procedure. Specifically, a result of the abnormality determination procedure may be nullified (rendered ineffective) after execution of the abnormality determination procedure.

At step S13, a current value (a preset current value) of the electric current set at the constant current circuit 43, which is preset at the constant current circuit 43, and an actual current value of the electric current (actual electric current), which is sensed with the shunt resistor 45 and the current sensing device 46, are obtained. Furthermore, at step S14, the preset current value and the actual current value are compared, and it is determined whether a difference (absolute value of the difference) between the preset current value and the actual current value is smaller than a predetermined determination value K. When it is determined that the difference (absolute value of the difference) between the preset current value and the actual current value is smaller than the determination value K at step S14, the operation proceeds to step S15 where it is determined that the constant current circuit 43 is normal. In contrast, when it is determined that the difference (absolute value of the difference) between the preset current value and the actual current value is equal to or larger than the determination value K at step S14, the operation proceeds to step S16 where it is determined that the constant current circuit 43 is abnormal. When it is determined that the constant current circuit 43 is abnormal at step S16, the operation proceeds to step S17. At step S17, there is executed a fail-safe operation, such as stopping of the conduction of the constant electric current through the constant current circuit 43, stopping of the sub-feedback control operation of the air-to-fuel ratio, turning on of an abnormality warning lamp provided in, for example, an instrument panel, and/or storing of diagnosis data in a storage device (e.g., a memory).

The microcomputer 41 includes an abnormality determining section, an electromotive force determining section, and a nullifying section to execute the abnormality determination process of FIG. 10. Specifically, the abnormality determining section determines whether the abnormality is present in the constant current circuit 43 based on the current value of the actual electric current, which is sensed with the current sensing device 58 and the shunt resistor 57, when the flow of the constant electric current is induced by the constant current circuit 43, as discussed above with reference to steps S13 to S16. The electromotive force determining section determines whether the voltage value of the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is smaller than the predetermined voltage value Vth, as discussed above with reference to step S12. The nullifying section nullifies the abnormality determination of the abnormality determining section when the electromotive force determining section determines that the voltage value of the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is smaller than the predetermined voltage value Vth, as discussed above with reference to step S12. Furthermore, the predetermined voltage value may be set at the electromotive force determining section based on a temperature of the sensor element 31. Each of the abnormality determining section, the electromotive force determining section, and the nullifying section may be implemented by a corresponding program that is stored in the memory and is executed by the CPU in the microcomputer 41. Furthermore, these sections may be implemented by more than one microcomputer. For instance, one or more the abnormality determining section, the electromotive force determining section, and the nullifying section may be implemented in one of the microcomputers, and another one or more of the abnormality determining section, the electromotive force determining section, and the nullifying section may be implemented in another one of the microcomputers, if desired.

The present embodiment discussed above provides the following advantages.

The sensor element 31 can be used as the battery by using the electromotive force of the sensor element 31. In view of this point, the constant current circuit (serving as the current conduction regulating device or the current conduction regulating means) 43 is formed as the circuit that conducts the electric current while using the electromotive force generated at the sensor element 31 as the electric power source of the electric current. In this case, when the sensor element 31 is used as the battery, it is not required to provide another electric power source, which is used as a substitution of the sensor element 31. Therefore, the structure of the constant current circuit 43 can be simplified. With this simplification of the structure, the cost reduction is possible.

Furthermore, the constant current circuit 43 enables the flow of the constant electric current through the sensor element 31 in the electromotive force range (the range of 0.45 V to 0.9 V), which is equal to or larger than the electromotive force (0.45 V) of the sensor element 31 generated at the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio. That is, the constant current circuit 43 conducts the constant electric current (predetermined constant electric current), which is generated while using the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 as the electric power source of the constant electric current, to induce the flow of the constant electric current between the exhaust side electrode 33 and the atmosphere side electrode 34 when the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is in the corresponding electromotive force range, which is equal to or larger than the predetermined electromotive force of the sensor element 31 that is generated at the theoretical air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas. Therefore, the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17 can be changed in the desirable manner in at least the range of the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio to the rich air-to-fuel ratio. In addition, the constant current circuit 43 does not conduct the constant electric current (or any electric current) when the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 is less that the predetermined electromotive force (0.45 V) of the sensor element 31 that is generated at the theoretical air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas.

The constant current circuit 43 includes the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54, which are connected in series relative to the sensor element 31. Thus, the desirable constant electric current can be conducted through the sensor element 31 while the appropriate electromotive force output, which corresponds to the air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas, is obtained at the sensor element 31.

A reference voltage (predetermined reference voltage), which is a voltage of the intermediate point X2 between the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 in the constant current circuit 43, is made smaller than the electromotive force (0.45 V) of the sensor element 31 generated at the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio. Thereby, the robustness of the O₂ sensor 17 can be improved in terms of changing the output characteristic of the sensor element 31 at the stoichiometric air-to-fuel ratio.

Through use of the constant current circuit 43, which is constructed in the above-described manner, the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17 can be adjusted to correspond with the air-to-fuel ratio at the point where the outflow of NOx begins at the first catalyst 15 a. That is, in the case where NOx outflows from the first catalyst 15 a, the O₂ sensor 17 can generate the corresponding electromotive force, which corresponds to the outflow of NOx from the first catalyst 15 a. Therefore, the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17 can be appropriately changed, and thereby the NOx emissions can be limited.

The constant electric current Ics, which is conducted by the constant current circuit 43, shifts the equilibrium point of the gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 to the NOx outflow point A2 (the second air-to-fuel ratio point) or the point adjacent to the NOx outflow point A2. Thereby, it is possible to implement the more appropriate structure for limiting the emissions of NOx through use of the output of the O₂ sensor 17.

Particularly, when the constant electric current Ics is supplied to the sensor element 31 through the constant current circuit 43 in such a manner that the equilibrium point of the gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode 33 of the O₂ sensor 17 becomes slightly rich relative to the NOx outflow point A2 (the second air-to-fuel ratio point), the required robustness can be achieved to limit the NOx emissions.

In the constant current circuit 43, which generates the constant electric current Ics based on the electromotive force of the sensor element 31, when the air-to-fuel ratio becomes lean to cause the reduction in the electromotive force of the sensor element 31, the electric current having the constant current value (the desirable constant current value) cannot be conducted as the constant electric current Ics, so that the current value of the constant electric current Ics is unintentionally reduced. Therefore, in such a case, an erroneous determination may possibly be made in the case where the abnormality determination is made based on the actual current value. With respect to this point, in the present embodiment, the abnormality determination is nullified in the case where the current value of actual electric current is lower than the predetermined value (the case where the voltage value of the electromotive force is smaller than the predetermined value Vth). Therefore, the erroneous determination of the abnormality of the constant current circuit 43 can be limited.

The reliability of the result of the abnormality determination can be improved by taking into account that the internal resistance of the sensor element 31 changes in response to the temperature of the sensor element 31.

The present disclosure is not necessarily limited to the above embodiment, and the above embodiment may be modified in various ways within the principle of the present disclosure. For example, the above embodiment may be modified as follows.

The reference voltage, which is the voltage of the intermediate point X2 between the MOSFET 53 and the resistor 54 in the constant current circuit 43, may be set to be variable. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11, in the constant current circuit 43, the voltage (the voltage of the voltage output point X1), which is generated by the voltage generating arrangement 51, may be variable controlled by the microcomputer 41, i.e., may be changed by the microcomputer 41. A corresponding section of the microcomputer 41 alone or together with the voltage generating arrangement 51 may serve as a voltage changing device (or a voltage changing section) that changes the reference voltage. The structure for variably controlling the voltage can be any suitable structure. For instance, the resistance value of the resistor 51 b, which is the one of the resistors 51 b, 51 c connected in series, may be variably controlled by the microcomputer 41 to variably control the voltage value of the voltage at the voltage output point X1. In this way, while implementing the simplification of the structure of the current conduction regulating device (or the current conduction regulating means) by creating the flow of the electric current in the sensor element 31 through use of the electromotive force of the sensor element 31 as the electric power source of the electric current, it is possible to provide the function of variably controlling the current value of the electric current conducted through the sensor element 31. Thereby, a variable range of the output characteristic of the O₂ sensor 17 can be adjusted.

In the above embodiment, the presence of the abnormality in the constant current circuit 43 is determined through the comparison between the preset current value and the actual current value in the constant current circuit 43. Alternatively, the presence of the abnormality in the constant current circuit 43 may be determined based on a change in the output voltage of the sensor element 31 (a change in the electromotive force of the sensor element 31) relative to a change in the actual current value.

In the above embodiment, the O₂ sensor 17 is placed on the downstream side of the first catalyst 15 a. Alternatively, the O₂ sensor 17 may be installed to an intermediate portion of the first catalyst 15 a. In such a case, the O₂ sensor 17 may be installed to the substrate of the first catalyst 15 a. In any of the above cases, it is only required that the O₂ sensor 17 is constructed to use the exhaust gas after the purification thereof at the first catalyst 15 a as the sensing subject to sense the gas component(s).

Besides the O₂ sensor 17 having the above-described structure, the gas sensor may be a gas sensor that has a two-cell structure, which includes an electromotive force cell and a pump cell. In such a case, the output characteristic can be appropriately changed at the electromotive force cell of the two-cell type gas sensor. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A gas sensor control apparatus for a gas sensor that outputs an electromotive force signal corresponding to an air-to-fuel ratio of an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine and includes an electromotive force cell, which has a solid electrolyte body and a pair of electrodes, wherein the solid electrolyte body is held between the pair of electrodes that include a reference side electrode, which becomes a positive side at a time of outputting an electromotive force from the electromotive force cell, and an exhaust side electrode, which becomes a negative side at the time of outputting the electromotive force from the electromotive force cell, the gas sensor control apparatus comprising: a current conduction regulating device that is installed in an electric path, which is connected to the electromotive force cell, to induce a flow of a predetermined constant electric current between the exhaust side electrode and the reference side electrode through the solid electrolyte body in the electromotive force cell, wherein the current conduction regulating device conducts the predetermined constant electric current, which is generated while using the electromotive force of the electromotive force cell as an electric power source, to induce the flow of the predetermined constant electric current between the exhaust side electrode and the reference side electrode when the electromotive force of the electromotive force cell is in a corresponding electromotive force range, which is equal to or larger than a predetermined electromotive force of the electromotive force cell that is generated at a theoretical air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas.
 2. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the current conduction regulating device includes: a resistor that is installed in the electric path, which is connected to the electromotive force cell; and an operating device that is operable to hold a voltage of one end portion of the resistor, which is placed on a side where the reference side electrode is located, at a predetermined reference voltage.
 3. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a resistance value of the resistor is in a range of 50Ω to 500Ω.
 4. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a voltage value of the predetermined reference voltage is smaller than a voltage value of the electromotive force of the electromotive force cell generated at the theoretical air-to-fuel ratio.
 5. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 2, comprising a voltage changing device that changes the predetermined reference voltage.
 6. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: the gas sensor control apparatus is applied to an exhaust gas purifying device of the internal combustion engine; the exhaust gas purifying device is installed in an exhaust device of the internal combustion engine and includes a catalyst that purifies NOx, which is a lean component of the exhaust gas, and a rich component of the exhaust gas; the gas sensor is installed in the exhaust device at a location, which is in an intermediate portion of the catalyst or on a downstream side of the catalyst, to sense the air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas after purification of the exhaust gas with the catalyst; the catalyst has a conversion characteristic, which indicates a relationship between the air-to-fuel ratio and a catalytic conversion efficiency of the catalyst; the conversion characteristic of the catalyst includes a second air-to-fuel ratio point, which is a point of starting an outflow of the NOx from the catalyst and is located on a rich side of a first air-to-fuel ratio point that forms an equilibrium point for the rich component and oxygen; and the current conduction regulating device induces the flow of the predetermined constant electric current having a current value, which corresponds to a difference between the first air-to-fuel ratio point and the second air-to-fuel ratio point of the catalyst.
 7. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the current conduction regulating device induces the flow of the predetermined constant electric current having the current value, which is required to shift an equilibrium point of a gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode of the electromotive force cell to the second air-to-fuel ratio point or an adjacent point that is adjacent to the second air-to-fuel ratio point.
 8. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the current conduction regulating device induces the flow of the predetermined constant electric current having the current value, which is required to shift the equilibrium point of the gas reaction around the exhaust side electrode of the electromotive force cell to a rich side of the second air-to-fuel ratio point.
 9. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a current sensing arrangement that senses a current value of an actual electric current that flows in the electromotive force cell; an abnormality determining section that determines whether an abnormality is present in the current conduction regulating device based on the current value of the actual electric current, which is sensed with the current sensing arrangement, when the flow of the predetermined constant electric current is induced by the current conduction regulating device; an electromotive force determining section that determines whether a voltage value of the electromotive force of the electromotive force cell is smaller than a predetermined voltage value; and a nullifying section that nullifies abnormality determination of the abnormality determining section when the electromotive force determining section determines that the voltage value of the electromotive force of the electromotive force cell is smaller than the predetermined voltage value.
 10. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined voltage value is set at the electromotive force determining section based on a temperature of the electromotive force cell.
 11. The gas sensor control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the current conduction regulating device does not conduct an electric current when the electromotive force of the electromotive force cell is less that the predetermined electromotive force of the electromotive force cell that is generated at the theoretical air-to-fuel ratio of the exhaust gas. 